Investigation of CuSb4Te2 alloy for high-speed phase change random access memory applications

Abstract

The thermal stability of amorphous Sb₂Te film can be significantly improved by the addition of Cu. CuSb₄Te₂ alloy is considered to be a potential candidate for phase change random access memory (PCRAM), as evidenced by a higher crystallization temperature, a better data retention ability, and a faster switching speed in comparison with those of Ge₂Sb₂Te₅. A reversible switching between set and reset states can be realized by an electric pulse as short as 7 ns for CuSb₄Te₂-based PCRAM cell. In addition, CuSb₄Te₂ shows endurance up to 1.5 × 10⁵ cycles with a resistance ratio of about two orders of magnitude.